Final Fantasy IV Walkthrough, Part Eleven: Eblan

- First step: get below ground again. Heed Cid’s advice by hopping into the airship, newly repaired, and fly back to Castle Baron in the north. Head to the east side of the Castle and speak to the men in the purple. They’ll attach a hook to the bottom of the airship.

- Fly north to Mt. Hobs. The hovercraft from muuuuuuch earlier should be sitting here. Pick it up with the airship. Fly back to Agart, then fly west. You’ll soon hit an island that you may or may not have already explored. There’s a ruined stronghold, Eblan Castle, waiting here. You don’t have to enter, but it’s worth the visit.

- Head straight north to start. There’s a chest in the top-right corner of the first hall, through a secret passage. It contains a Hi-Potion. On the third floor you can find secret passages directly left and right of the throne; the right leads to a Gold Needle, a Maiden’s Kiss, and a Cottage, while the left leads to a Unicorn Horn and an Alarm Clock.

- Return to the outside of the Castle, then enter the western tower. One square north of the door and to the right is a secret passage leading to the chest in the east; it contains a battle which will win you a Sleep Blade. Rydia’s summons are a wise way to start the fight. On the second floor you’ll find a Bacchus’s Cider in a pot. If you step through the pots and walk through the wall you can reach the chests in the room on the right; one contains a Mute Arrow, the other 10,000 gil. Head to the left side of this room, where there’s an apparent dead end, and you’ll find a path down to a Bomb Core.

- Check out the east tower. There’s a hidden passage behind the top-right pillar on the first floor that leads to a Coeurl’s Whisker. On the second floor you can open a door via a switch beside the stairs; beyond is an Emergency Exit, two Hi-Potions, Hermes’s Shoes, and a chest containing more monsters that you can access via a secret wall beside the pots. You’ll gain a Blood Lance by winning. Drop through the hole in the floor to find a Silver Hourglass.

- From the Silver Hourglass you’ll find a small hidden chamber. Inside you’ll find two Ethers and a chest containing monsters on the right. The Mad Ogres within are very strong, so approach this chest with caution. Status effects are recommended. You’ll gain a Silver Apple for defeating these beasts. Continue along the path to the south and you’ll emerge outside the Castle.

Eblan Cave

- Hop into the hovercraft and guide it down onto the shoals to the west of Eblan Castle. They’ll take you to Eblan Cave, a small location in the south of the mountain range west of Eblan. Step inside. The enemies in here aren’t too bad, though the Bats can get very annoying. Fire is useful.

- Immediately to the right of the entrance is a chest containing a Shuriken. Pass through the wall to reach it. Continue right through the wall beside the chest to reach another chest, this containing a Remedy. Return to the previous chamber, step into the water, and go through the right wall to hit a southbound water flow. Get back onto the land from here, head south to find a Vampire Fang, and make your way to the southwest corner of the area.

- The remains of Eblan are beyond. In the first room you’ll find an Item Shop and an Inn; in the second room, Armour and Weapon Shops; in the third on the far left, a pair of Potions in jars, as well as a Namingway.

- The door to the left leads back to hostile parts of Eblan Cave. Beside the door is an Ether, and to the north is a Tent. Head this direction until you see a fallen soldier, then pass through the obvious path beside him and to the south to find a Hi-Potion. Head back north and through the door by the soldier.

- Head north to an open area on the next screen, check the northeast corner for a Bomb Core, then go east and south. (You can dip into the right wall as you head south to find a Shuriken.) This will lead you to the previous chamber. Directly south of the doorway are three chests containing two Hi-Potions and a Cottage. You can find a secret pathway above the two chests that lead to a small chamber nearby containing two more chests; they hold two Elixirs. Further south you’ll reach an intersection; on the left is Spider’s Silk, on the right a Silver Hourglass and two Phoenix Downs. North of this cluster of three chests is an exit.

- There’s a door on your right in the next room that leads to a save point. Check above the line of rocks on the right side of this room to find a chest containing a monster battle. Defeat them for a Blood Sword. Back outside and to the left you’ll find a dead end with a chest containing a Gold Needle. Head north from the save door…

- … and, after a cut scene, you’ll gain a new party member: Edge. Edge is a swift, strong physical fighter with three ninja techniques: Ninjutsu, which is similar to elemental attack magic; Throw, which allows Edge to hurl combat items at enemies and inflict a lot of damage; and Steal, which is self-explanatory. He’s a solid party member, but Edge has an unfortunate tendency to get knocked out a lot. It’s almost worth putting him in the back row.

- Check to the left of where you meet Edge to find a short secret path to a Dry Ether, then head north. You’ll be back in a rather familiar area.